


A Purfect Match

by justanotherpipedream



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Dog Steve Rogers, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 00:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20498003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherpipedream/pseuds/justanotherpipedream
Summary: Steve, Tony and Bucky have finally started to settle into their new relationship. Steve is ready to take things to the next step: spending time together in their shifted forms. Then again, convincing both Tony and Bucky might take some work.





	A Purfect Match

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JacarandaBanyan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacarandaBanyan/gifts).
  * Inspired by [(Not) The Worst Case Scenario](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18527818) by [JacarandaBanyan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacarandaBanyan/pseuds/JacarandaBanyan). 

> A stuckony spin on JacarandaBanyan's wonderful fic for the Stuckony Server Remix - special thanks to my beta Adrasteia for looking this over! <3

Steve padded down the hallway, his tongue sticking out as he wagged his tail. Long used to the sight of the shifted golden retriever, no one paid him any mind as he sat himself down in front of the elevator doors. A few seconds later, the elevator pinged as the doors opened for him. Steve made sure to bark at the camera in thanks. Without issue, JARVIS started the elevator up to Tony’s workshop. 

Both Tony and Bucky were down there today, and Steve couldn’t help but wag his tail at the thought. Both of his mates working together and being amazing! Having so much fun, and now Steve was going to join them!

He shook his head, trying to clear away his sudden need to roll on the floor and play. It was a battle sometimes to shake off his less than human instincts, especially after training in the SHIELD obstacle course for the afternoon. 

No, Tony was helping Bucky with his arm today. Tony had spent so much time building him a brand new arm from scratch, pouring his heart and soul into the project. And now, after months and months of development, sweat and tears, Bucky was testing out the new prototype. 

The elevator doors opened with a chime. He was proud of himself for resisting the urge to sprint through the glass door towards his two mates. Sticking out his tongue, Tony was nose deep inside the wiring of Bucky’s arm. Beside him, Bucky grinned, wiggling his fingers of his other hand as Steve gingerly walked through the door. Steve barked in greeting as he trotted around, beelining for his drawer of clothes in the corner. 

“Just hold on for one more minute, I’m almost done...there! All done Buckyboo. We’ll have to run a few more grip and usability tests which will help with durability-”

Tony leaned over with a whistle, waggling his eyebrows back at Steve. “Well hellooo handsome.”

Steve grinned, his Irish skin already flushed a bright red. “Hi.”

Bucky tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes lingering as they scanned down Steve’s torso. “Hi there.”

Tony tossed his gloves on the workbench beside him with a laugh. “So are we still going for dinner, or did you both wanna skip straight to  _ dessert _ ?”

Heat filled Steve’s core, but he shook his head. “I’ve come to distract both of you from forgetting about our dinner reservation. We’re not rescheduling for the fifth time, go get changed!”

“Aye, aye captain,” echoed Bucky and Tony in unison before they burst into snickers.

Steve rolled his eyes fondly. “I’ll meet you downstairs in 30.”

=====

“Looking good Cap! Where’s Tonycat and Bucky bear at?”

Clint crunched down on his handful of chips, frowning as he dropped the bag onto the floor. “Aw chips no.”

A large portion of them lay scattered on the ground. Steve wrinkled his face as Clint squatted over, slowly tossing the chips into his mouth off the floor and into his mouth one-by-one. “Meeting me in half an hour. That’s really not sanitary.”

Clint shrugged in response, still tossing “I’ll live.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a raccoon shifter?”

“I wish. Then I could eat all the cheese in the world that I wanted without feeling the worst. Speaking of shifted forms, are the rumours true? Is Tony really a tiger?”

Steve leaned back against the wall. “I- don’t actually know to be honest. He hasn’t shifted in front of me yet.”

“Huh, really? Damn, there goes my fifty dollars. I put my money down on cat of some sort, but I guess that’s not something you want, being a dog and all-”

“That’s a stereotype. There are plenty of lasting and healthy dog and cat shifter relationships all the time.”

“Yes, but there are very few of them out there” interjected Natasha from the couch. “I’m surprised you haven’t shifted together with him yet.”

“I didn’t want to pressure him. He’s very private about it.”

Of course Steve had thought about it, it would be a lie to say he hadn’t. Spending time together in animal form was a key component of getting to know and bond with the other person. Not to mention, testing long-term relationship compatibility.

“It’s amazing how he’s managed to still keep it a secret from the world after all this time. It’s obviously important to him, so I don’t want to press-”

“But you do want to know,” finished Natasha with a nod, “you don’t have to say it, I can see it on your face. What about Bucky? Have you mentioned anything to him about it? Has he gotten to shift yet?”

Steve shook his head with a frown. The Howling Commandos’ wolf shifter sergeant was well known as a force to be reckoned with. After the war, after  _ Hydra _ , Steve couldn’t remember ever seeing him shift. “No. He said it hurts to shift with his arm-”

“Didn’t Tony already fix that problem though? You’re the one who told us that Bucky was able to finally take his arm off at night so that he could sleep without pain.”

Steve closed his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Go talk to them Steve,” said Natasha. “If it’s bothering you, you need to talk to them about it.”

* * *

“Is that really a burger the size of my face?” exclaimed Tony in glee. He tugged on Bucky’s sleeve, “I’m totally gonna eat a whole burger the size of my face-”

“If you mean you’re gonna try eating the burger, get full halfway through, and make me and Steve eat the rest of it?” bemused Bucky. “Only if you make it a cheeseburger.”

Tony huffed. “I would resent that, but even I know my limits. Anything else?”

“Two extra orders of onion rings please,” interjected Steve.

With a nod, their server left them alone. The old-fashioned diner was busy enough, but thankfully no one seemed to pay them any mind. Steve was thankful that they were able to request a more private table towards the back. He glanced around before leaning in. 

“We should celebrate your hard work” said Steve.

“I just sat there and looked pretty,” said Bucky. Tony looked like he was ready to protest, but Bucky leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips. “I literally sat there while you did all the work.”

Tony huffed but melted into Bucky’s side. “What are you thinking Steve?”

Steve fidgeted, but held his head high. “I was thinking that maybe we could take a trip somewhere? Just the three of us. Maybe even spend some time in our shifted forms-” 

“I’ve got the perfect spot!” 

Tony waved his phone with a grin. “I’ve got a cabin where we can have a nice, relaxing week off. I don’t think Pepper or SHIELD will let us take more than a week off, but at least we’ll be able to get away for a while. We can go hiking, swimming, even pretend to fish if you want!”

Bucky coughed, “ _ Pretend? _ ”

“To be fair, when was the last time you two actually managed to catch something instead of glaring into the water for hours?”

Bucky huffed, “Hey, speak for yourself. I’m pretty sure the last time we went fishing,  _ I _ was the only one who caught anything. It’s not my fault we had to release it-”

As Bucky and Tony continued to bicker, Steve leaned back beaming. Maybe Natasha was right, asking wasn’t so hard was it?

* * *

“I’m bored.”

“We’ve only been fishing for ten minutes Tony.”

Tony yawned. He swung his feet up from the side of the dock, placing his legs on Bucky’s lap and his head on Steve’s. “Fishing’s boring.”

Steve chuckled, but ran his fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony closed his eyes, melting into Steve’s touch. “I suppose this isn’t so bad.”

Maybe Clint’s cat shifter theory was right after all. Tony did adore taking cat naps in the afternoon sun, and today seemed like no exception.

“You can shift you know. I don’t mind if you want to snuggle.”

Bucky snorted. “You don’t have to worry bout that, he’s already asleep.” 

Tony was passed out, his head tucked against Steve’s thigh as he snored. Bucky’s eyes softened as he adjusted Tony’s legs. “He’s been exhausted with the new Stark phone launch. This was a good idea Steve.”

Steve hummed. There would always be tomorrow.

* * *

“Okay maybe hiking without checking the weather beforehand might not have been the best idea, but those clouds came out of nowhere.”

They huddled together underneath a large tree as rain poured all around them. Tony shivered as he huddled in the middle, arms clutched around both Steve and Bucky. “Not the worst date we’ve had- remember those robots? But next time we’re staying inside so we can snuggle by the fire.”

“Agreed,” echoed Steve and Bucky. 

“Maybe you should shift Bucky,” said Steve, “your fur would keep you warmer.”

Bucky shook his head. “Too big, you would both be stuck out in the rain.”

Steve blinked. From what he could remember, while still large, Bucky’s wolf should be able to fit no problem beside them-

“Looks like the storm’s clearing up anyways. We better get going before things get worse.”

* * *

It wasn’t until the next day that Steve finally worked up the courage to ask them both directly. Huddled around the fireplace, layered in blankets with steaming mugs of hot chocolate, they were as comfortable as they could get.

Steve looked towards Bucky first. “I know that you’ve avoided shifting into your wolf form because of your arm,” Steve looked towards Tony, “and that your shifted form is very private, I understand that- but is there a reason you both won’t shift around me?”

A beat passed, and then another, as Bucky and Tony blinked at him in surprise before sharing a long look with each other. Steve could already feel the flush creep all over his ears. He tried to swallow down his disappointment as he plastered a wide smile on his face. “Never mind, it’s alright-”

Bucky grabbed his hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to shift. It’s just well- we’re gonna need a lot of space for me and in the city, it’s pretty difficult.”

Steve blinked rapidly. “Space? What do you mean by space?”

Bucky’s grip tightened. “Hydra’s serum. It made me...different than I was before.”

Steve shook his head fiercely. “I don’t care about that, you know I don’t.” 

Tony’s hand flashed forward, intertwining his fingers with Steve’s other hand. His grip was warm and reassuring, but Steve could still feel how tense he was. “It’s not you darling, I swear it. It’s just well, I don’t shift very often for good reason and it’s not something that usually comes to mind for me. And I should! People want to shift together with their partners to test compatibility.”

He looked so conflicted and sad that Steve wanted to bundle him up tighter in his blanket. “I don’t care what form you have. I love cats!”

Tony chuckled but shook his head. “I know you do Steve. I know that you would never judge anyone’s relationship on something like that. It looks like it’s a pretty good weather for a dip in the lake don’t you think?”

“Well I guess it is-”

“Wonderful!” And without another word, Tony shed his blanket and started his march towards the door. Steve glanced over to Bucky, but he looked just as confused as he did. They hurried after him though as he rushed towards the dock.

Tony stood at the edge of the water, eyeing it nervously as he leaned side to side. Steve quickly stripped his clothes off before running and jumping into the water. He surfaced the water in dog form, his tail wagging back and forth behind him as he threaded water, trying to be as encouraging as he could. 

_ Come swim! Come play! The water’s great! _

Steve was vibrating all the while, trying not to whine too much.

Bucky was patting Tony’s shoulder encouragingly. “Could you help me take my arm off first?”

With a nod, Tony nimbly helped twist and shift Bucky’s metal arm off, carefully laying it down further up along the dock away from the water. Bucky started working on his shirt, waiting patiently for Tony to help him undo his pants before shrugging them off.

With a running leap, Bucky dove into the water. 

Steve’s head swivelled instantly and he watched as a large mass of fur broke the surface. He was much larger than he used to be, and as Steve swam closer, he realized what Bucky had been talking about.

It was not a large wolf like Steve had been expecting, but a massive werewolf that broke the water’s surface. More humanoid in stature, but Bucky still had a beautiful dark coat of fur covering his body. He whined and Steve paddled over instantly, licking Bucky’s snout with an excited bark.

He could feel how tense and worried he felt, so Steve continued to lick and nip at Bucky in the water. Slowly but surely, Bucky began to relax.

From the dock, Tony whistled. “No wonder you don’t ever wanna join Steve at the dog park. Remind me to take you our private garden back home, you’ll love it.” 

Both of them barked back at him in response, whining all the while. Tony placed his folded shirt carefully on the ground beside him. “I got it, I got it- I’ll hurry up.”

But Steve watched as Tony took his time undressing, more nervous than before as he eyed the water. Oh no. He never wanted to force Tony into this-

Steve started to swim back, ready to tell Tony he didn’t have to, but a tug on his tail held him back. Bucky shook his head, nudging Steve to turn around.

As he turned back around, all he saw was a giant splash. Steve watched the water carefully, his eyes peeled for when Tony would surface. 

It would make sense that Tony was some sort of aquatic animal. Maybe an otter, or a squid? Steve shook his head. No matter what form Tony took, they would find a way to communicate together.

A shadow passed close by, and Steve could feel a thrum from underneath the water seconds before a blur of white breached the surface of the water.

A loud roar echoed all around them as the dragon leapt into the air, a giant blue glow emanating from the center of its chest. 

He was breathtaking.

A wave of water splashed them as Tony swam over, slithering just beneath the surface with care, trying not to squish them both. 

Tony’s head emerged from the water. After a short pause, Tony slowly dipped his head down, angling it so they could climb on top. With a leap, Steve scrambled on top of Tony’s head, waiting for Bucky to join him. Tony’s scales were slippery and rough, but not as sharp as Steve had imagined them to be.

_ That’s good. I don’t want to hurt you. _

Steve yelped, his head swiveling back and forth. Tony rumbled beneath him.

_ Perks of being a water dragon. It takes a bit of focus, but I can project my thoughts to you _

With a little more care, Bucky slowly climbed as well, nuzzling Tony’s head as he reached the top. With a flick of his tail, Tony began to move.

_ Hold on tight. _

Bucky and Steve howled excitedly, their ears flapping in the breeze as they moved around the lake, a rumbling dragon beneath them.


End file.
